University welcomes Secretary of State for Wales

Stephen Crabb MP delivers keynote speech at Cardiff Business School

Secretary of State for Wales Stephen Crabb MP visited Cardiff University today to deliver a keynote speech on his vision for devolution and the Welsh economy.  Speaking at Cardiff Business School, the Secretary of State outlined how the UK Government’s programme of devolution and decentralisation could be harnessed as an opportunity for innovation and growth in Wales.

In particular, the Secretary of State emphasised the need for Wales to compete with fast-growing economies overseas and other parts of the UK.   He told the audience of business leaders, policymakers and academics that Wales needs to move beyond debates around the constitution, and focus on the challenges laid down by a globalised economy.  Mr Crabb also added that the city of Cardiff is innovative and entrepreneurial, and has the potential to become an engine of innovation and wealth creation which would benefit the whole of Wales.     

Following his speech at the Business School, the Secretary toured the University’s Hadyn Ellis building where he met academics at the forefront of Cardiff’s ground-breaking research.

During the tour, Mr Crabb saw how the University’s Neurosciences and Mental Health Research Institute is working to improve the understanding and treatment of major mental disorders, such as dementia, by bringing together the University’s strengths in psychiatry, neuroscience, and psychology.

He also visited the European Cancer Stem Cell Research Institute, which was established to tackle some of the most pressing issues in cancer treatment.

The Secretary of State concluded his tour by meeting representatives from the Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC), who explained how the University’s new £44M state-of-the-art imaging facility will establish Cardiff as a European centre for neuroimaging.  The Centre, which will allow the University to further its world-leading research into neuroimaging, psychiatry and psychology, is due to open in the spring of 2016.